1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of light emitting diode (LED) lighting devices and more particularly in the field of an LED lighting module having heat transfer properties that improve the efficiency and performance of LEDs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are currently used for a variety of applications. The compactness, efficiency and long life of LEDs is particularly desirable and makes LEDs well suited for many applications. However, a limitation of LEDs is that they typically cannot maintain a long-term brightness that is acceptable for middle to large-scale illumination applications. Instead, more traditional incandescent or gas-filled light bulbs are often used.
An increase of the electrical current supplied to an LED generally increases the brightness of the light emitted by the LED. However, increased current also increases the junction temperature of the LED. Increased juncture temperature may reduce the efficiency and the lifetime of the LED. For example, it has been noted that for every 10° C. increase in temperature, silicone and gallium arsenide lifetime drops by a factor of 2.5 –3. LEDs are often constructed of semiconductor materials that share many similar properties with silicone and gallium arsenide.